World Army Review: India Army

Army looking for gear to protect troops from AK-47 bullets

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New Delhi: For providing its personnel protection against the lethal 
bullets of rifles such as AK-47, the Indian Army has issued tenders to 
procure around two lakh bullet-proof jackets and helmets for its troops 
deployed in counter-insurgency operations.<br /><br />
The two tenders were issued last year under Army's modernisation 
programme of its Infantry soldiers known as the Future-Infantry Soldier 
as a System (F-INSAS) under which it will acquire?1,86,168 bulletproof 
jackets for its personnel along with ballistic helmets with internal 
communication gear.<br /><br />
"We have participated in both the tenders to supply these bullet-proof 
jackets and ballistic helmets with internal communication facilities," 
Indian firm MKU's Managing Director Neeraj Gupta said here.<br /><br />

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He said his firm has responded to the bids issued by the Army under 
the category in which only six Indian vendors have been allowed to 
compete.<br /><br />
Gupta said after acquiring a German manufacturing facility, his firm has
 supplied protective gear to more than 100 international forces and they
 have been used by them in conflict zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan.<br /><br />
As per the Army's requirement, it wants jackets with hard armour plates 
for front, rear, sides, upper arms, groin and throat, capable of 
protecting against 7.62mm x 39mm mild steel core ammunition fired from 
an AK-47 from 10 metres.<br /><br />

The Army is deployed in counter-insurgency operations for several 
decades in North East and Jammu and Kashmir and has been facing shortage
 of these protective gear as pointed out by the Comptroller and Auditor 
General in its recent report.<br /><br />
Gupta said his firm is looking towards providing armoured protection to 
military helicopters that operate in insurgent and terrorist-infested 
areas in the country.<br />
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